Fireworks ban needed to stop explosive attacks; Disaster waiting to happen, police say

A nationwide fireworks ban is desperately needed to reduce the number of explosive attacks on homes and businesses in the Netherlands, three police chiefs told NRC. Illegal and dangerous fireworks like Cobras are so easily available via Telegram groups that the police cannot get a grip on it. And the transport and storage of these explosives are a disaster waiting to happen, the police chiefs said.

The number of attacks involving an explosive set off at a home or business has increased alarmingly in recent years, from 212 in 2021 to 1,413 last year. In January 2025, there were nearly 100 explosions in Dutch neighborhoods. Multiple victims and perpetrators have been seriously hurt. In Tarwekamp in The Hague in December, six people died after an explosive attack targeting a bridal store. The police believe that Cobras were used in the attack.

Cobras are widely available and relatively cheap. According to the police chiefs NRC spoke to, 10 euros for three Cobras is common. NRC spoke to Rotterdam police chief Tolga Koklu, chief Hamit Krakus of the Noord-Holland police unit, and Jos van der Stap, the program manager of High Impact Crime at the national police. They all advocate for a national fireworks ban.

Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security has previously said that a national fireworks ban would not solve this problem. There is also no clear majority in parliament for such a ban. The VVD has the swing vote but is dithering.

But according to the police chiefs, tackling the vast number of explosive attacks without a national fireworks ban is impossible. The investigations take up a lot of capacity, which always comes at the expense of other investigations. “Suspects hardly talk. We have to deploy an awful lot of detectives to be able to establish and prove the link between clients, intermediaries, and executors,” Koklu said. “Sometimes it feels like we are fighting this battle with our hands tied behind our backs.”

The Dutch fireworks culture needs to change, Van der Stap said. “If no one is allowed to set them off anymore, the police can better focus on combating illegal fireworks,” he told NRC. Banning “everything that makes a bang” will eventually result in “well-intentioned citizens” stopping with fireworks. “In this way, the demand for Cobras will also decrease and they will no longer be sold online in such large numbers.”

“We cannot combat a social phenomenon with detection alone. You break something like that with three-quarters prevention and the rest through detection. So without a ban, the police are simply 75 percent less effective,” Van der Stap said.

According to Koklu, the vast amount of explosives currently entering the Netherlands is a disaster waiting to happen. “The Cobras are entering the country in vans. If one of those vehicles explodes, half a residential area is gone.” Cobras are stored in homes, under beds, in the backyard, he said. “If one Cobra goes off there, they all go off. You don’t need a spark for that. Static electricity is enough. The entire society is currently at enormous risk for a disaster.”